Plans to convert a terraced house in Bognor Regis to an eight bedroom shared house refused
Plans to convert a three-bedroom terraced house in Bognor into an eight-bedroom HMO have been refused by Arun District Council.
The application refers to 21 Longford Road and had planned to include eight bedrooms with en-suites, shared bathrooms and a communal kitchen/dining room. This would follow a loft conversion and rear extension to the property.
Documents submitted with the application said that the property is in “a bad inhabitable condition and is in desperate need of redevelopment”.
The property is in walking distance to Bognor train station, bus stops and local shops, which the applicant claimed would encourage residents to use public transport and bicycles, as there is no off-street parking proposed.
The plans state there are currently four HMOs within 50 metres of the property, which is equal to 5.3% of the total 76 homes in the area.
A statement from objector Ms Jessica Shepherd was read out at the meeting to councillors.
She said: “This is a two and a half bedroom house. It’s not big enough for eight people even with extensions and loft spaces. I know the layout of the house well as I’m friends with the previous owner and visited regularly all my life.
“I think it would be very cramped to put eight people in there and not humane.”
Mr David Shepherd also submitted a statement against the application.
He said: “Where are the tenants going to park their vehicles? Since Regis Court was built there is literally nowhere to park in the area now with the potential of eight more vehicles looking for a space – nightmare.
“The number of HMOs in Longford Road is growing and it’s spoiling the look of the street.”
Councillor Trevor Bence spoke of how he, as a resident of Bognor, ‘systematically’ avoids the use of this road due to the concentration of vehicles making it difficult to pass through easily.
He said: “Before I vote for this I want to be reassured that this isn’t going to impact on the current residents and their parking needs.
“It is rammed most of the time and buses are inconvenienced on a daily basis so to call this sustainable I would call it a safety issue.”
Councillors ultimately refused the application on October 21 for two reasons.
The first was that the shortage of parking for the development would cause obvious harm to the area, existing residents and the bus routes.
The second was that the applicant had not shown sufficient plans for waste disposal for the proposed number of occupants.